Piracy (in the maritime sense) is defined as “high jacking on the high seas”. It has connotations of grand galleys, cannons blasting, treasure, cured meats and wenches (to a lesser extent). It has all been very romanticised thanks to the Hollywood installments we have had over the years recently culminating in the bawdy, drunken anti-hero Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean. Thoroughly enjoyable and gripping stories and feared and revered characters have been immortalised and regaled at the sides of beds for years.  Bluebeard, Calico Jack, Barbarossa; These are great stories following the simple yet effective age-old, ying yang  “the bad guys” versus the “good guys”.  A young, but vibrant lesson about a moral compass and a deep insight into the human psyche to look back retrospectively and realize that everyone would fight to announce what villainous character they were as plastic swords clashed in a fight for the high seas on your front lawn. From a young age, crudely put “the bad guys were cooler”, the anti-hero was a god and where there were pirates there was treasure!

Today, while the threat of Pirates on the high seas is somewhat archaic; we are faced with a much less ominous and less colorful pirate. This is age of Piracy on the Information super-highway rather than the high seas!  I recently read an article in IT News, titled; Proud pirates can expect education: IPAF, and what interested me most was the concept of the “accidental” pirate. The high seas never saw a Captain of a ship unconsciously acquiring someone else’s spoils.

“Oh dear, there seems to be a surplus of unaccounted bullion and spices in the hold!”  It was deliberate. It was planned. It was aggressive and it was a simple motive. These motives were sometimes a bit Robin Hood- esque “rob from the rich merchants give to the poorer traders left out”, or more sinister motive; simply downright theft for thievery sake.

This concept of the “accidental” pirate supported by the IPAF is aimed at people who apparently don’t know that are committing piracy. I’m pretty sure anyone who sees  one of their favorite US shows that have yet to be aired, watches a movie that a friend picked up in Bali or downloads a favorite artists new song on-line does in fact realize they are infringing copyright laws pretty much anywhere you are in the world. They are looking to “re-educate” people. Some people justify their piracy with a rant about the industry executives reaping the financial rewards as the beneficiary of the tenuous artist-to-fan relationship. Some simply sail the seas with no flag flying over their consumer galley, no glory, no heroes, no bloodshed…but little nuggets of gold in their pockets. There are definite “good” and “bad” guys of course and we all know who they are…..

Call me old fashioned but where have the days gone when we talked on the phone for hours and caught up with friends….Whilst social media is great at connecting everyone it has also replaced the personal contact element.

The same convenience of technology which allows us to share photos, chat with friends and arrange our social life may also be making us lazy and fundamentally less social!

The launch of new gadgets such as the smartphone and i-pad have made it easier to get by without meaningful social interaction.

Recent articles have suggested we are increasingly becoming disconnected from family, friends, colleagues and neighbours. Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone and the results of over 500,000 interviews suggest we belong to fewer organizations that meet face to face, know our neighbours less, meet with friends less frequently and even socialize with our families less often.

Witnessing this trend myself at Manly Wharf Bar on Sunday, I noticed a couple sitting next two us on their i-pads. Two hours had passed and not a word had been spoken besides the order of drinks. My friends and I thought this was weird and later had a debate about ‘when does social media cross the line’. 

Have you become somewhat anti social? Do you spend more time chatting on-line than in person?

In the recruitment world there has been a lot of talk about the hardships of 2009. In fact, talking to my colleagues and friends in the industry there was a collective sigh of relief when 2010 came. Throughout the first half of the year there seemed to be confidence in the economy – Australia had gotten through the worst of it relatively unscathed and the good times were surely to come. Which made me think of my topic today – is there another recession looming in the wings.

A double-dip recession refers to a recession followed by a short-lived recovery, followed by another recession often caused by a slowdown in the demand for goods and services, commonly accompanied by large redundancies.

A report by Four Corners on the ABC (23^rd of August – Overdose) explored the likelihood of a double dip recession and they interviewed some of the top analysts in the US. There was a consensus from these analysts that a bubble has been forming since the Global Financial Crisis. They also agree that sooner or later it will have to burst, plunging the US and most probably the globe into another, deeper recession.

One of the causes for this bubble is the generous stimulus packages that governments around the world, including ours, have put in place. In the US’s case billions of dollars has been spent to prop up the country’s economy. What was argued in this report is that these stimulus packages and bail outs have encouraged the same behaviour that caused the GFC in the first place. And given cash reserves for many countries are practically zero, borrowing levels are at an all time high and financial mechanisms like interest rate reductions have already been applied there is little in the toolkit for governments to use in the face of a declining economic outlook.

Without a magic crystal ball it is hard to predict what is going to happen. Will 2011 be as positive as 2010? Has the hardship of 2009 really gone forever? Are we completely out of the Global Financial Crisis, or is a larger one around the corner?

In a recent article featured in the MIS Financial Review magazine, Brian Corrigan addresses Succession Planning and whether businesses are doing enough to bring in the next generation.

Brian spoke to leading IT profiles to understand their experiences, the challenges involved and the recommendations to fill the void.

The article also features Ambition Technology Director, Andy Cross, who commented “It’s all about looking at your skills and where the gaps are below you… You need that plan in every team and every division. It was a lot more in vogue a decade ago though has been given more lip service than real support in more recent times.”

The article presents key points to achieving an active approach to succession planning:

• Mentor potential candidates so they are aware of what they have to do to succeed.
• Give them the opportunity to act in the role when you are absent or undertaking higher duties.
• Formally assess their performance at the completion of their acting CIO or other relevant assignment.

Visit www.misaustralia.com to view the full story.

Ambition Technology recently hosted an applications specific focus group session in which we identified what was important to our applications clients and candidates.

We were privileged to have a diverse range of specialists participate, from developers to senior managers, who provided us with invaluable information about their respective areas and the applications industry as a whole.

We addressed topics relating to; technology events, trends, projects, networking, social media and the recruitment industry.

The findings of the focus group have been very helpful in allowing us to better understand what drives our clients and candidates professionally and how we can continue to make a positive difference by providing a service our customers really want.

Utilising this information, Ambition Technology will be introducing a quarterly applications focused breakfast event, presented by ‘real people’ who work in the industry and understand the challenges that such specialists face each day.

Watch this space for more exciting updates and upcoming focus groups in other areas of the Technology Industry too.

Whenever a heavily marketed and exciting new technology is released there is usually a massive initial uptake, often well before the technology is fully tried and tested. Just because something can be achieved does not necessarily mean it is required, especially before the infrastructure exists to make it commercially useful. Recent history is littered with examples of untimely failures; take for example the dot com bubble burst of the early 1990’s which today is but a bad memory in a world dominated by successful e-commerce ventures. I for one remain skeptical of over-hyped technology products or services until the average members of the public have had their say.

A bit of news that slipped under the radar last week was the announcement of final compensation being paid out to certain members of the public who purchased CD’s distributed by Sony back in 2005. Anybody remember why? Digital Rights Management (DRM). I remember the first time I used an iPod and thought ‘what a fantastic little device’, I remember the first time I bought songs from iTunes and thought ‘what a wonderfully easy experience’, and then I remember innocently trying to load the tracks on to my Nokia phone and being very confused as to why I was unable to achieve this. DRM is a term used to describe restrictions of use added to devices and digital content by their manufactures. Originally pushed as an anti piracy measure, it has also been used by manufactures and publishers to limit what we can do with our purchased digital content. For example Apple and Sony only allowed songs purchased from their music stores to be played only on their specific devices. Upon further research I discovered there is code in each downloaded track stopping me from playing my purchased songs on any other device apart from Apple products, code that only allows me to copy the track to CD a maximum of 5 times. Originally Sony even added DRM code in to the CD’s they sold in retail outlets so that when played on a PC it installed DRM software, without notifying the user, which then in turn created a severe security vulnerability on the PC in question, hence the compensation mentioned above.

Is this fair? I believe not, specifically as at the time I was completely unaware of these issues. This new technology was added into products without consumer consent and consumer awareness. There has been a very large movement against DRM and thankfully the public appears to have won. More and more music and film sites have started to sell their products DRM free (or offering DRM free versions of their digital content at a higher price). The French government has even ruled against DRM, stating that while the technology itself is not illegal, the way it is promoted and used by organisations is illegal. Still it’s a step in the right direction for the freedom the digital world and the internet should allow us.

I can understand an organisation trying to protect its assets and its business, however I believe it is unacceptable to take advantage of consumer’s ignorance over new technology. Hopefully these issues will be few and far between, and I am very pleased to say both my work and social life has greatly benefited in recent years by new products and services. The moral of the story is before you part with your hard earned cash; make yourself aware of exactly what you are buying, how and how well it works, and what you are unable to do. Above is just one example of the dark side of technology, do we have more…

There’s no such thing as a free lunch so the saying goes, but more and more recently we are seeing a number of job seekers prepared to work for free.

Whether they are experienced in a particular field and looking to switch careers or newly qualified job seekers looking for the first rung on the corporate ladder, the offer is the same: we will work for free in exchange for a chance to learn new skills. Now the cynics  will call this out saying, ‘well it’s not quite free because they are going to take up our time and resources without giving anything back’ but the reality is that in a labour tight market how big is the exposure upon your resources really? Many an inexperienced employee given the chance will repay your commitment tenfold and who’s to say they aren’t your next rising star?

Others may suggest this is a revival of the school time principal of ‘work experience’ but it’s a little more than that because of the level of skills which these individuals are offering. In today’s society when everyone wants ‘it’ now there’s something refreshing about people being prepared to put something in without the promise of anything in return.

We currently have access to a number of individuals who meet this description so if anyone is interested in finding out more, please contact Ambition Technology.

The topic of a mandatory ISP level internet filter, which forms part of Labor’s policies, has been hotly contested over the past few months and in the last few days the Green Party have come out to side with the Coalition and state that a PC-based approach would be more effective. Labor devised such a plan to target refused classification material that shouldn’t be available online such as child sexual abuse imagery, bestiality, sexual violence, detailed instruction in crime, violence or drug use and/or material that advocates the doing of a terrorist act. This material is currently not available on Australian hosted websites however it can still be accessed on international websites and Labor plan to block these with an ISP web filter.

My question in this blog is this: Should we be against this? Is this being done purely for the safety of our homes and our children, or is this just censorship and a way to control what we see, think and do?

I personally believe that the aforementioned refused classification material should not be available on the internet. I would not want children or adults to view or be at all exposed to this,  however, I do feel that an ISP filter isn’t the best option to combat this, particularly with simple ways around a filter, such as adding a question mark to the end of the web address thereby changing the address enough to make it different, as recently documented by Gizmodo, and the sheer volume of websites out there meaning that a filter could never block them all. In my opinion, I think that both the Greens and the Coalition are right in suggesting PC-based filtering which can offer a much broader filter and can be personalized depending upon the household.

Despite my personal belief that this refused classification type of material shouldn’t be available, there is also a human-rights issue here and many would argue that it is one’s personal choice as to what they look at online. In addition, there are people out there that are worried that this is just a start to online censoring which may try to block further websites and activities such as torrents etc. With such a large percentage of the public against this style of filter it definitely seems that Australians don’t seem to think that it will be for their own good.

With Apple Inc. recently becoming the second largest company on the S&P 500 in terms of market capitalisation, it’s no surprise to hear that Apple is opening another company –owned store in Sydney this week. Apple has announced they will be opening their fourth shop this Thursday which will be located in the Castle Towers Shopping Centre in Caste Hill.

So, what is Apple doing so right? Is it their products, service, tech savvy people, the fashionable statement or the whole kit and caboodle?

Recently visiting an Apply store, I can understand what all the hype is about. Apple people are passionate and alive with enthusiasm. You become part of the ‘apple’ community the second you step through their door which drives a sense of loyalty towards Apple products. You become hooked!

A recent blog called ‘Secrets of the biggest selling launch ever’ by Seth Godin, spills the beans on Apple’s success, highlighting the key tactics used. I quite like the following;

1. Don’t try to please everyone. There are countless people who don’t want one, haven’t heard of one or actively hate it. So what? (Please don’t gloss over this one just because it’s short. In fact, it’s the biggest challenge on this list).

2.Make a product worth talking about. Sounds obvious. If it’s so obvious, then why don’t the other big companies ship stuff like this? Most of them are paralyzed going to meetings where they sand off the rough edges.

3. Build a platform for others to play in. Not just your users, but for people who want to reach your users.

4. Create a culture of wonder. Microsoft certainly has the engineers, the developers and the money to launch this. So why did they do the Zune instead? Because they never did the hard cultural work of creating the internal expectation that shipping products like this is possible and important.

5. Be willing to fail. Bold bets succeed–and sometimes they don’t. Is that okay with you? Launching the iPad had to be even more frightening than launching a book…

6. Give the tribe a badge. The cool thing about marketing the iPad is that it’s a visible symbol, a uniform. If you have one in the office on Monday, you were announcing your membership. And if it says, “sent from my iPad” on the bottom of your emails…

What are your thoughts? What makes Apple successful to you?

If you are currently in your last semester at uni, you may think that it’s too early to start worrying about how you’ll land your first job. As a recent university graduate myself, I speak from experience when I say you’d be wrong.

Just like studying for exams guarantees a better outcome, getting in touch with the right agencies and companies prior to graduation will improve your success rate.

Three months out from my final exams I began to analyse what roles would be right for me. I turned to my lecturers, my mentors and my friends for help. After deciding on the perfect fit I got in contact with a recruitment agency and I have to say it made my transition into the workforce relatively painless.

Two days after my last exam I met with the agency who helped determine the type of culture and environment I wanted to work in. The next week I interviewed with five unique companies, helping me to weigh up the differences and find the best fit for me.

Within two weeks of my last exam I had started in my full-time role.

The current IT graduate market is extremely competitive as companies strive to re-build their service desks following the GFC. Good candidates are being snapped up and roles are disappearing in a matter of days. You can maximise your chance of securing that dream opportunity by following these guidelines:

• It’s never too early to start looking

Research the market and what opportunities are out there at least two months out from graduating.

• Perfect your CV and cover letter

Get your name out to the market so that companies are aware that you will soon be ready to start full-time work. The best way to do this is by constructing a professional and effective CV and cover letter (for hints see http://www.myambition.com/).

• Build relationships with companies and agencies

Networking is essential to the success of your job search. As in accordance with the old proverb, “It’s not what you know, but who you know”, meeting the right contacts will help you find that entry-role.

• Determine what you want from a company and your career

What is of the greatest importance to you? Is it location, salary package, industry, career progression, training…? Determining this will help you to compare and contrast various job opportunities and identify the best fit for you.

• Don’t be afraid to approach agencies directly

Agencies are a great tool if you’re new to the market. The right recruitment agency can help you identify what’s important to you. They have a sound knowledge of the market and a network of companies they recruit for, offering you numerous possibilities. (They also do a lot of the work for you, securing interviews on your behalf and saving you the lengthy process!)

If you are like me, finishing uni is exciting not just because it marks the end of exams and the dreaded assignments. It is exciting because it signifies the start of a new era; the start of your career. Starting your job search now, before graduation in November, will help you ensure you get a head start on the rest of the pack!

What are your thoughts? Has anyone got advice for future graduates on how best to prepare for a smooth transition to the workforce?